Lead Nurse CNS Services Planned Care

Expert Practice

• The Lead Nurse will employ highly developed, expert clinical skills to assess patient need, co-ordinate care, manage treatment and provide specialist clinical leadership.
• The post holder will provide strategic and professional senior nursing leadership in the development and delivery of multi-professional services and in the integration of care across departmental/organisational boundaries.
• They will facilitate expert and autonomous nursing care and the provision of support to patients and families.
• The post holder will provide and lead autonomous direct care and advice through various modalities including ward-based, outpatients, ward attenders, telephone clinics/support, community settings and domiciliary visits. The post holder may need to delegate patients to other members of the team but will supervise and retain responsibility for the management of their care whilst they are a patient of the Trust.
• They will raise the profile of the specialist area and its work within and outside the Trust. The Lead Nurse will initially act as the first point of contact for clinical expertise for staff within the nursing team, and provide an experienced liaison route for all professionals in the MDT.
• They will work in collaboration with the MDT in order to achieve the highest standards of care for this patient group. This will involve teaching and supporting the early identification of pathways and treatment options, to ensure patients are being cared for in the most appropriate manner and environment.
• The post holder will coordinate pathways and independently manage a challenging and diverse patient caseload and may make and receive referrals directly to doctors, GPs, Community Nursing Teams, hospices and Allied Health Professionals as appropriate.
• The post holder will promote communication between primary, secondary and community providers as well as the non-statutory sector, and will advise/lead on the discharge planning process for designated patients.
• The post holder will support professionals, patients and families through periods of diagnosis, treatment and palliation.
• The post holder will provide expert advice on issues of clinical governance and risk.

Education and Training:

• The post holder will be involved in multidisciplinary teams and the training and development of professionals. This may include mentorship, supervision and attachments/placements of junior nursing staff.
• The post holder will undertake regular assessments of the education needs of new and existing staff, in conjunction with the team.
• The post holder will ensure the development and sustainability of information, skills and acquired knowledge for service. The development of staff and the transfer of skills and knowledge to improve standards, the scope of practice and professional judgement of others (as appropriate) forms a key part of the role.
• As part of advising on practice, the post holder will be a key link with professional bodies and associations for the specialist area and will review and translate evidence-based recommendations and guidance into daily patient care. They will proactively keep up to date with new developments in research and best practice.
• Internally, the post holder will lead on internal policy and guideline development.
• Formal and informal teaching sessions will be created and delivered. The post holder will collaborate with the post graduate medical education department to ensure junior medical staff have the necessary training and education to provide evidence-based practice.